On June 19, 1865, Union troops delivered the belated news to slaves working on plantations in Texas that they had been declared free by the Emancipation Proclamation issued two years earlier by President Lincoln. Since then, Black communities across America have celebrated “Juneteenth,” also known as “Freedom Day.”
To help celebrate Juneteenth, DeLand Quakers have given away hundreds of books on Black history and culture at their booth in Earl Brown Park. Most of the books have been discarded from public school libraries because of a state law enacted in 2022 which mandates that books on race and slavery used to teach history in public schools must be approved by a state committee. Books not approved are banned. Teachers not complying face a possible felony conviction. Although the law hasn’t been tested in the courts, the threat has resulted in a preemptive purge of books that DeLand Quakers consider essential to teaching accurate and inclusive U.S. history.
We will be giving away books at the Martin Luther King Day, Monday, January 20, in Earl Brown Park.
Anyone wishing to donate books for the giveaway may contact us by phone (386) 337-5204 or email delandquakers@gmail.com.